The present invention relates to advertising system for use on a communication network, and an information processing terminal and a center for use in this advertising system.
In recent years, as browser-equipped information processing terminal have been improved and become extensively available, web sites have come to be accessed by a wide spectrum of people and proved highly effective as advertising media.
Some web pages carry advertising graphics linked to specific web pages, for instance, the respective advertisers"" web pages. If a user clicks one of such advertising graphics, the terminal will access the linked web page, and the user will take a look at the accessed web page. On such a linked web page, more details of the advertisement are displayed.
The Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei 11-17633 discloses a conventional advertising system by which an advertising graphic with embedded linked information is displayed on the display unit of a user, who is expected to click of a pertinent icon.
This conventional advertising system includes user-operable terminal, a broadcasting center and web servers for storing web pages, and each of these constituent elements is connected to communication networks including the Internet and public communication-line networks.
The broadcasting center includes a earth station and a communication satellite, the latter broadcasting programs in digital signals under the control of the earth stations.
The terminal receives the digital signals, and supplies pictures to its display unit and audio contents to its loudspeaker. The terminal is further provided with its own specification browser for viewing the web pages on the display.
In this conventional advertising system, the digital signals sent from the communication satellite include icon data in addition to broadcast signals. Icons are temporarily stored in a prescribed memory area of the terminal, and displayed on the unit at predetermined timings. These icons, each of which is composed of graphics, work as advertisements.
In each of these icons is embedded the web server address indicated in a URL or information for requesting the broadcasting center to transmit detailed advertising information.
If the user clicks the icon in which the web server address is embedded as link information, the terminal will access the web server indicated by the link information, and displays the pertinent web page on its display unit. This web page carries detailed information of the advertisement which the clicked icon represents.
Or if the user clicks an icon in which is embedded information for requesting the broadcasting center to transmit detailed advertising information as link information, the terminal will ask the broadcasting center to transmit detailed advertising information and at the same time display that detailed advertising information received from the communication satellite via the broadcasting center.
The above-described conventional advertising system according to involves the following problem.
With this prior art advertising system, unless the terminal is connected to a communication network or unless the terminal can receive digital broadcast signals from the communication network, the user cannot obtain detailed advertising information even if he or she clicks the right icon.
An object of the present invention is to provide an advertisement system with a high level of advertising effectiveness.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a information processing terminal comprising: a memory unit which stores at least one set of icon data and contents for off-line communication; an information processing unit which determines whether said terminal is under on-line or off-line condition; and a display unit which displays, based on said icon data, an icon in which both two type of link information is embedded, one of said link information being for linking to said contents for off-line communication, and another being for linking to outside contents for on-line communication, wherein said terminal accesses said outside contents for on-line communication in response to clicking said icon by a user, and said display unit displays said outside contents for on-line communication, when said information processing unit determines that said terminal is under on-line condition, and wherein said terminal accesses said contents for off-line communication in response to clicking said icon by said user, and said display unit displays said contents for off-line communication, when said information processing unit determines that said terminal is under off-line condition.
According to other aspect of the present invention, these is provided an advertising: system comprising: a communication network; a information processing terminal which includes a memory unit which stores at least one set of icon data and contents for off-line communication, an information processing unit which determines whether said terminal is under on-line or off-line condition, and a display unit which displays, based on said icon data, an icon in which both two type of link information is embedded, one of said link information being for linking to said contents for off-line communication, and another being for linking to contents for on-line communication; and a center which stores said on-line contents and is connected to said communication network; wherein said terminal accesses said contents for on line communication in response to clicking said icon by a user, and said display unit displays said contents for on-line communication, when said information processing unit determines that said terminal is under on-line condition, and wherein said terminal accesses said contents for off-line communication in response to clicking said icon by said user, and said display unit displays said contents for off-line communication, when said information processing unit determines that said terminal is under off-line condition.